May 10,2021

"What's Going On," Marvin Gaye's outcry against the injustices he saw his people and communities suffering, has found new life in the past year. Although it was written during the Vietnam War, the lyrics are, perhaps, more profound today because they could have been written yesterday instead of all those years ago. That's truly sad.

A couple weeks ago, I heard it for the first time, and I was struck by the rhythmic beauty of the music but even more so by the power of the lyrics:

"Mother, mother. Everybody thinks we're wrong. Oh, but who are they to judge us/simply 'cause our hair is long? Oh, you know we've got to find a way/to bring some understanding her today."

What's going on? I have been asking this question a lot recently. For the life of me, I can't understand why people are afraid to learn. Tennessee has passed a law banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory. The co-sponosor of this bill should have no problem defending the bill since he seems to be "so proud" to contribute to the ignorance that people from the South are typically stigmatized by. Sir, how can you think for one moment taking information away from students is in any way helpful or wise? Why do you insist on shrinking horizons instead of expanding them? You know better. What are you so afraid of?

I was talking to someone about this bill, and they found a way to articulate what I am feeling. Sometimes, it's hard to corral my racing thoughts to channel the intense emotions, but this person was able to do it. This is their point of view, which I fully support:

"So, this whole bill to ban critical race theory in TN is terrifying on several levels.

The fact that history and theories are already watered down with what we are taught now that we do not even get the true, full story so we are losing history, which is so important to learn from.

That the government is dictating what we do or do not learn sounds quite a bit 'dictatory' to me.

What makes them think that not teaching something in any way, shape, or form protects children? All that does is make them ignorant, and when they are faced with it in real life, they speak from ignorance because they have no idea what they are truly speaking against.

It really scares me that they believe that if you're told something that people should automatically believe it. To me, that is the worst of all. The mindset to [both] challenge things and think on your own and do your own research to who you are [and] what beliefs and knowledge you stand on is scary.

Again, this is extremely 'dictatory' for the 'good old, free, country boys...' The ignorance and laziness of people makes me sick."

Going back to at least fifth grade and long before it was called Critical Race Theory, I felt what white people have done to the Native Americans and later Black people, specifically was wrong. Does that mean every single person descended from the Pilgrims or other non-indigenous peoples is racist? Of course, not. It means one group has continuously pushed their selfish agenda with brute force regardless of how the indigenous populations feel, usually, and most ironically, in the name of God. Manifest Destiny, anyone?

The person I was talking to and I disagree on our stances regarding Critical Race Theory, but that's exactly the point: we have taken in the information, thought about it, and drawn our own conclusions. Why are you denying future generations the right to do the same?

Knowledge is power, so why on earth would you not want people to know as much as they possibly can in order to offer any serious competition with other nations? Things will never progress if we keep making the same mistakes because you are too busy attempting to rewrite history and too scard to learn and change. Without change, we become stagnant and irrelevant. Eventually, we will fade and be forgotten. If we are remembered at all, it will only be as a sad, cautionary tale of a failed experiment in democracy.

"Father, father. We don't need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate. You know we've got to find a way to bring so me loving here today."